Blurred Lines
by V-quez
Summary: When the lines between duty and desire blur, Gai finds himself in a very precarious position. Gaiten


**Hey there! I'm trying something new here by writing a song fic. I stumbled upon this song one afternoon when it was playing on the radio and loved it ever since. Listening to it through headphones inspired me to try my hand on some Gaiten. Hope you like it. **

**Special Thank you DeenaTweety for being my beta! ;D**

**I do not own Naruto or the song "Bent" by Matchbox Twenty.**

If I fall along the way

Pick me up and dust me off

And if I get too tired to make it

Be my breath so I can walk

The wind whipped against her bantam form, swelling her silk mandarin shirt. The crisp fall air chapped her countenance, but the dull needle-like pain made her feel so alive.

Tenten permitted a bubbling giggle to rise from her rose-petal lips, only to be lost in the whooshing gust.

In the corners of her vision, she could see the peak of the sun as she ran upside down on the canopy branches.

Under his watchful eye, Tenten sprinted along the underside, pumping chakra down to her soles, accelerating her already impressive speed.

Gai's shinobi sandals shattered dry leaves as he matched her pace.

He could see her tender shoulders tense when her right foot failed to connect with the adjacent branch.

Gai slowed his pace, his green flack vest parachuting as he quickly positioned his arms in a cradle, ready to catch her falling inertia. She landed in his arms with a light 'puff'; her head flopped backwards in disappointment.

Feeling the lost strands of her hair on his exposed hands he said, "Don't worry, my lotus flower, you will bloom when the time is right and I will be there supporting you with the powers of youth." He gave her the smile that sealed his promise with a 'ping'.

Tenten sighed and lifted her head to acknowledge her new sensei's promise. Wearily, she returned his smile with her own girlish one.

However, Gai would have never known; he had made the mistake of losing himself in her eyes. Hypnotized by the whirling mahogany orbs, he marveled at the atonement of wisdom and experiences that she already possessed at the beginning of an unforgiving age.

If I need some other lovin'

Give me more than I can stand

And when my smile gets old and faded

Wait around I'll smile again

Shouldn't be so complicated

Just hold me and then

Just hold me again

Can you help me I'm bent

I'm so scared that

I'll never get put back together

Keep breaking me in

And this is how we will end

With you and me bent

"Tenten…"

"Hai, Gai-sensei."

He waves his large hand in a motion that tells her to come closer. He frowns while she strides across the training field, noting that the spring in her step has recently lost its elasticity. Never being one to hide his emotions he lets his scowl fall deeper seeing as the sweet in her chocolate eyes has gone bitter.

"Tenten, how have you been?"

Her carefully arranged mask falters so slightly that only a trained shinobi eye would catch it before she replies, "I'm fine." She says it with a steely gaze, so cold and metallic, you know she wants the conversation to end now. But Gai is unrelenting in his pursuit, meeting her stare.

"Tenten," he says, the serious arrangement of his countenance contradicting the affection and concern in his baritone voice.

She whips around, breaking off her daggering glare, shoulders tense and raised, body trembling slightly.

"I. Am. Fine," she spats, but the wavering in her voice is the symbol of her broken control.

Pivoting in a semi-circle, she moves to face him, face beet red, eye shrink-wrapped in tears.

She continues, "He died honorably. Sure, people say he died a servant, forever in debt to the seal on his forehead, but he also made a pledge to protect his teammates and he did just that! He died a shinobi!" Her last statement is growled through tightly clenched teeth, angered so much more at those that dare disregard his death rather than at Gai's persistent concern.

A deep heart wrenching growl rumbles low in her throat, scattering all nearby birds. Her shaky hands fly up to her sweat-matted bangs and with the weight of her true feelings released, she feels her knees crumble beneath her.

Instead of hitting the dirt floor, her face comes to rest on a chiseled chest.

The lotus flower always blooms twice.

She claws wildly at his open jonin vest, desperate for stability. She pushes back to face him and Gai finds himself face to face with those eyes. And the only thing to break him from their trance is the ever-imagined feel of her lips on his.

Even though it takes him a few seconds to respond, she is unwavering in her attack and Gai knows that he's just an outlet for her passion.

Tenten's hands become lost in the willow of silky locks that adorn his head as Gai becomes lost in the embrace, mentally conflicted with the idea that he may be doing this for selfish reasons and not because of his promise.

And if I couldn't sleep could you sleep

Could you paint me better off

Could you sympathize with my needs

I know you think I need a lot

Their co-op mission ends with them camping out in a small tent. Gai rests on his back, staring out the mesh opening, lost in the black abyss above.

His awareness is brought back to his surroundings by the whimpering of unintelligible words from Tenten, who is lying in fetal-position next to him. Suddenly, she trashes her legs out and Gai already knows that her ever-haunting past is replaying. He quickly closes the distance between them and snakes his hand out in the darkness, searching for her warmth.

The encasement of her hand in his swiftly pulls her from the claws of her nightmare. She blinks away the last remnants of sleep before turning over on her side to face him. Seeing the concern etched on his structured face, she lifts and rests the back of her free hand on his cheek in a motion to let him know that she is fine.

But Gai knows better than that.

I stared out clean but I'm jaded

Just phoning it in

Just breaking the skin

Shouldn't be so complicated

Just touch me and then

Just touch me again

Can you help me I'm bent

I'm so scared that I'll never

Get put back together

You're breaking me in

And this is how we will end

With you and me bent

Their mouths glide along each other's as Tenten rolls deeper into his embrace and he argues with himself, saying that this is his promise to protect her. But the passion Gai feeds to her tells him that this has gone beyond a duty; it's a pleasure.

With the expert way she moves and feels he knows her innocence has long since been broken, first by Neji and recently by the Aburame.

She breathes out and he breathes her in as their bodies collide in a fury of emotions. Bathing in the sea of her existence, he finally admits that he's in love with her. That he was all along.

He growls and she screams, signaling the completion they've reached together. Tenten looks up at him through half lidded eyes, playfully trailing her fingertips around his muscular neck before gently tugging him downward onto her awaiting lips.

Gai knew he was a goner the moment she turned the power of her swirling chocolate puddles onto him, but Kami, he was lost, full and he loved it.

**Well, I'm not sure how I feel about this. :P Please feel free to tell me what you think.**


End file.
